


Explosions

by Fleur_de_Lure



Category: Bleach
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26225071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fleur_de_Lure/pseuds/Fleur_de_Lure
Summary: Kisuke shouldn't be left alone for too long, it tended to result in explosions.Or3 small vignettes and a blossoming relationship.
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke
Comments: 13
Kudos: 232





	Explosions

The simple truth was that Urahara Kisuke should never be left alone for periods longer than roughly three hours at a time, because he would inevitably do or think something remarkably stupid for such a supposedly intelligent man. So, when Ichigo had left a week ago for his whirlwind tour of universities he’d done so content in the knowledge that between a visiting Yoruichi and an imminently competent Tessai there were plenty of people to prevent Kisuke’s worst impulses.

Unfortunately, Kisuke’s worst impulses were crafty, and so Ichigo returned to a Shoten that had been temporarily shut down and evacuated and a Kisuke who was not nearly as guilty as he tried to appear.

“What did you do?” Ichigo asked, more resigned than anything as Kisuke fluttered his fan in front of his face to hide the smile tugging at his lips.

“Just a small, minor mishap,” Kisuke demurred jauntily. The hand not currently holding his fan brushed imaginary dirt off his haori in an attempt at nonchalance. “These things happen.”

“Mm-hmm,” Ichigo hummed, scowling at the closed sign on the building front. The doors and windows had been sealed with both thick sheets of clear plastic and kido barriers. “And what, exactly, happened? And why didn’t Yoruichi-san or Tessai-san stop you?”

“Yoruichi-san returned to Soul Society two days ago, and Tessai-san has his duties. Besides, it’s not as though I need a keeper, Kurosaki-kun.” Kisuke told him, vanishing the fan up a sleeve. Despite the admonishment there was no recrimination in his tone.

“You do, you absolutely do,” Ichigo argued back. “And I told you, just call me Ichigo.”

Kisuke hummed in acknowledgement as they both stood staring at the Shoten for a moment. Ichigo had little hope that he would do as asked however, he had been remarkably resistant to the request thus far.

“Well, as you can see our weekly spar will have to be put on hold for the time being. Things should settle down in another forty-eight hours.” Kisuke said, turning with what should have been impossible dexterity given his choice of footwear.

Ichigo threw out a hand to grasp at Kisuke’s elbow, preventing him from running off, yanking at him until he turned back around.

“Now hold on! You still haven’t explained what you did. And if the Shoten is closed where are you and everyone else staying? You have a place, right?”

“Oh? Is that concern for us Ichigo-kun?” He sounded teasing but Ichigo could read the honest pleasure behind Kisuke’s tone. While he didn’t know all of Kisuke’s background he knew enough to know people showing care for him was still something rare and slightly surprising to the older man.

“Yes,” said Ichigo, bluntly. “But stop trying to change the subject and answer my question, damn it.” Ichigo leveled a kick at Kisuke’s hip but the man easily side stepped him. Ichigo had never been intending for it to connect anyway but still gave Kisuke a sour look for his evasion.

“Fine, fine. If you must know, I was experimenting with a new hollow repellent designed to be used by even those without any noticeable reiatsu. Also works as a combination bug repellent! Unfortunately, the mix of compounds had a more, energetic, reaction than expected and the ensuing explosion resulted in a cloud of, well,” here Kisuke paused to wave a hand in an ambiguous gesture.

“A cloud of what?” Ichigo asked, both suspicious and resigned.

“Well, sufficed to say, it smells very bad in there right now but it should all dissipate in a couple of days.”

Ichigo sighed. That was better than he feared truth be told. Since the defeat of Yhwach, and without a new problem looming for Kisuke to solve, the man had been somewhat adrift. An incredible mind with nothing to focus on quickly turned to made up problems. It was not the first time in the last six months that Kisuke had attempted an experiment that had gone awry.

Reason number one that someone was supposed to watch him.

“Where are you all staying then?” Ichigo asked again, slightly concerned. Truth be told Ichigo didn’t fully understand the financial situation of those at the Urahara Shoten. From what he could tell Soul Society used an entirely different monetary system that didn’t exchange well at all, and the actual candy side of the business wasn’t exactly bustling with clientele. They never seemed to want for money, however, always able to cover expenses and feed anyone who stumbled their way into the shop.

Ichigo himself had partaken in more than a few meals at the expense of Urahara and his housemates.

“There’s a hotel a few blocks over. Ururu is excited to be able to use the pool, it’s indoor!” the man cheered. Ichigo could not imagine him in a swimsuit.

“I guess that’s fine then,” muttered Ichigo, turning away from the Shoten finally with a sigh. He had been looking forward to that spar, but it would simply have to wait.

Although Ichigo spent a not inconsiderable amount of time fighting off the various Hollows that popped up all over Karakura he rarely had the chance anymore to push himself in combat, the low level hollows that appeared only sometimes challenging in trying to prevent collateral damage. Kisuke on the other hand was always challenging. Despite lacking Ichigo’s overwhelming power he was crafty, adept at improvisation, and unbelievably competent. Ichigo still, after all this time, struggled to land a hit on him most days.

“How was your trip, Kurosaki-kun?” Kisuke’s voice stopped him before he could walk off. When Ichigo turned back the fan was back out, shielding Kisuke’s expression.

“Pointless.”

“Pointless? Why?” Kisuke peered at him from under the brim of his hat, more serious than he had been the entire rest of the conversation.

“I already know I’m going to attend Naruki University,” Ichigo shrugged. “I only went on this trip to appease the old goat.”

“Oh? And why would you need to appease him?” Kisuke snapped his wrist and the fan shut, the only hint that he might have found Ichigo’s statement displeasing.

Ichigo rocked back on his heels, stuffing his hands into his pockets, wondering how much to say. After a moment he sighed, taking one of the hands out to rub over the back of his head where the hair was shortest.

“You know how he is. He thinks I should be trying to lead a normal life. Leave Karakura to the shinigami.” Ichigo shrugged.

“Your father found happiness in a normal, human, life. I suppose he wants the same for you,” Kisuke’s voice was conciliatory as he shifted.

“Stop that,” barked Ichigo.

“Stop what, Kurosaki-kun?” Kisuke inquired, wrist flicking the fan back open as coyly as ever but the set of his shoulders rising almost imperceptibly, belaying a tension that most would overlook, by design.

“My life was never going to be normal, and I’m fine with that. Normal didn’t suit me,” said Ichigo, referring to those dreadful seventeen months he existed, because he couldn’t call it living, without his powers as explicitly as he ever did. Kisuke tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement.

“Naruki University hmm. I would have thought you could do better,” less a question than an invitation to explain.

“Probably,” agreed Ichigo without hubris. “I decided not to.” It wasn’t just that Ichigo was smart, though he was, it was more that there was nothing that Ichigo couldn’t learn, and learn quickly, once he set his mind to it. The entrance exams to even the most prestigious and difficult of universities wouldn’t have been insurmountable if he wanted to attend. He just didn’t want to.

Naruki University wasn’t the worst or the best school but it had two things going for it that had swayed Ichigo’s decision: a course of study on European Literature and a twenty minute long train ride from the station closest to his house. Attending Naruki University meant he could live at home, and more importantly, protect Karakura.

Ichigo flicked his eyes to Kisuke.

The fact that he didn’t have to leave Kisuke, right as they had begun whatever weird dance they had begun to get closer, was another factor.

Kisuke’s face did something weird before he smoothed it into his normal genial expression, something there and gone so quickly that if Ichigo wasn’t so accustomed to looking for the tiniest trace of true emotion on Kisuke’s face he would have missed it entirely. And even still he couldn’t parse what it was.

“All of Karakura must be thankful not to lose it’s staunchest protector,” teased Kisuke.

“Yeah, yeah. Shouldn’t you be getting to that hotel?”

“Are you angling for an invitation up to my room? How forward, Kurosaki-kun,” Kisuke crowed, fan flickering out in front of his face as he pretended to be shocked.

“No! Who’d want that?” denied Ichigo, flushing. Now that Kisuke had said it he couldn’t help but imagine it. The two of them in a fine hotel room, close together, witch actual privacy for once.

Best not to linger on thoughts like those in public.

“The hotel is the Karakura Grand Hotel, my room is number 306. If you wish to visit,” Kisuke told him voice sly. Ichigo shoved him in the shoulder. The man didn’t have the decency to so much as sway.

“I’m going home,” Ichigo muttered as he stormed off. Behind him Kisuke cackled.

* * *

Even though Ichigo should be used to it by this point, having someone crawl into your bedroom through the window at midnight was still unsettling at best. At least this time he hadn’t been asleep, he was however shirtless in bed as the figure of Urahara Kisuke stepped onto the mattress, still wearing his geta.

“Ah, Kurosaki-kun, there you are,” Kisuke said cheerfully upon his entrance, as if he hadn’t just stepped in through the window into Ichigo’s bedroom. He looked slightly more manic than usual with dark circles under his eyes. In his hands he carried something wrapped in a rabbit patterned cloth. Ichigo was almost positive it had come from Rukia but it was also entirely possible that Kisuke had bought it himself.

Ichigo struggled into a sitting position with a curse, flinging the covers off himself. He pulled a hand through his hair as he flicked on the lamp by his bed, blinking quickly in the light. From outside the standard midnight noises of the neighborhood filtered in; the low level hum of the streetlight, the chirps of nocturnal insects, the occasional passing car.

“ _Kisuke,_ ” he growled. “What the hell?”

“I’m working on something and I need your help,” Kisuke told him, stepping lightly off the bed to the floor before taking a seat next to Ichigo’s still blanket covered hip. His attention mostly on whatever odd thing he was carrying.

Ichigo groaned, letting himself flop back on the bed, sprawling out before bringing the heels of his palms to rub at his eyes. He couldn’t say it completely surprised him that Kisuke would arrive at his room at midnight, it was the sort of thing the scientist would do. He’d spent the past week locked away in his lab working on some sort of project. The most Ichigo or Tessai had been able to get out of him was that it was meant to be some sort of reiatsu transfer device that was more convenient and less traumatic than a sword to the heart.

Kisuke looked up and over at Ichigo as he groaned, raising an eyebrow at his position, enjoying the body on display.

“Did I interrupt something?” Kisuke asked with a grin, leaning over Ichigo’s torso. Ichigo jumped just a little as he took his hands off his face and saw how close Kisuke had gotten, flushing a little. Kisuke tracked the color as it spread down Ichigo’s chest with dull interest.

“It is midnight. I have class tomorrow. This couldn’t wait?”

“Midnight?” Kisuke blinked at him, straightening up and twisting to look out the window, seemingly realizing the color of the sky for the first time. “Ah, my apologies, I seem to have lost track of time…”

“Kisuke… what day is it?” asked Ichigo.

“Er, Monday?” he tried.

“It’s Thursday. I knew we shouldn’t have left you alone down there for so long. When did you last eat?”

“Tessai-san brought me food,” argued Kisuke as Ichigo lurched back into a seated position. It brought him very close to Kisuke. Without thinking Kisuke released a hand from his cargo to brush at a bit of hair clinging to Ichigo’s cheekbone. Ichigo leaned briefly into the touch even as he scowled at Kisuke.

“Did you eat it?” When Kisuke didn’t answer he cursed under his breath and begin climbing out of the bed. “Idiot. Come on, there’s leftovers from dinner downstairs. Just be quiet.”

“Your concern for this old man is flattering, Kurosaki-kun.”

Ichigo snorted as he pulled a shirt on over his head, lip twitching as Kisuke let out a disappointed sigh. He then led Kisuke out of his room and down to the kitchen.

In a few minutes he had Kisuke seated at the table with a plate of leftover curry that had been heated up in the microwave in front of him. It was weird to see Kisuke in his kitchen, a place he had never before seen him in and that felt so totally disconnected from that part of his life. The kitchen was for his normal, average teenage life. Not whatever he could call the part of his life Kisuke was.

This is where he had taught Yuzu how to cook and Karin how to fold laundry and where he and the girls did their homework every night. It was the place of family meals and small talk about school and work and clubs. Rarely had shinigami business intruded here, even when Rukia came to dinner.

“This really isn’t necessary, Kurosaki-kun,” Kisuke protested one last time even as he picked up his spoon to begin eating.

“It’s Ichigo, and yes it is. If I don’t make you eat now you’ll just disappear back into your lab without eating. You really can’t be left alone, can you?”

“You know I have managed to survive these last few hundred years without you,” Kisuke argued with a pout.

“Yeah, because of Tessai-san and Yoruichi-san,” scoffed Ichigo, pulling out a chair to sit next to Kisuke. He turned his attention to the round parcel Kisuke had brought with him and that now sat on the table. “What is this?”

“This is my Emergency Reiatsu Transfer Processing Orb. The ERTPO for short.” Kisuke pulled the cloth off it to present a shimmery hollow orb a little smaller than a soccer ball.

“That’s a terrible name. How does it work?”

“One Shinigami fills the orb with reiatsu and another one should be able to draw it back out and absorb it. It should be able to treat reiatsu exhaustion.”

“Sounds good. Kinda, inconveniently big though, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I’m working on that. Currently, if I get any smaller it tends to shatter when even a minimal amount of energy is added to it.”

Ichigo hummed thoughtfully before reaching out and picking up the orb with both hands. It felt warm, and familiar.

“Oh, you already filled it,” Ichigo murmured, recognizing Kisuke’s reiatsu. Kisuke hurried to finish the last bite he’d taken as Ichigo ran a distracted hand over the orb.

“Filling it is the easy part, although finding a material that would allow the energy to be maintained once added took a bit of genius on my part. However, getting the energy back out is proving more difficult. That’s why I’m here, I wanted you to try pulling reiatsu from the orb.”

“Me? Why not get Tessai-san to do this?”

“He was asleep when I went to ask him,” Kisuke said with a wave of his hand.

“And that didn’t clue you in to the time?” Ichigo huffed. However, he did turn his attention back to the orb. “How am I supposed to do this then?”

“Try focusing on the energy in the orb and imagine it joining your own reiatsu.” Kisuke told him, dragging his chair closer to the redhead. Ichigo could feel Kisuke’s warmth all along his side.

“I really think you should get someone better at reiatsu control for this,” Ichigo murmured out the side of his mouth as he focused the majority of his concentration on his sense of energy. He reached carefully out with his own reiatsu, attempting to latch onto the reiatsu in the orb and pull it to him.

“It will be fine,” encouraged Kisuke. His breath fanned over Ichigo’s check from where he was leaning in to observe.

Ichigo felt his cheeks heat. Kisuke was so close, close enough to feel his warmth, his breath, to smell his sandalwood and sugar scent. It was distracting. It would be so easy to turn and just tilt his head up a bit and press the tiniest bit forward to kiss him. Ichigo felt his control slip and his energy go rushing into the orb.

“Wait-“ Kisuke started to say, a tiny note of alarm in his voice. It was too late though. With a deafening boom and bright flash of light the orb exploded as Ichigo’s reiatsu flooded it, overloading the thing. Only Kisuke’s quick reflexes allowed him throw himself and Ichigo to the floor as he knocked the orb into the air, preventing them from experiencing the lashing of energy.

“That wasn’t the expect result,” Kisuke said as their ears rang with echoes of the explosion. Ichigo looked at him in shock from where he sat practically in Kisuke’s lap on the floor.

“Ichigo?!” Isshin’s voice suddenly called from the second floor as heavy footsteps made their way down the hall. “What was that?”

“…shit,” Ichigo muttered as he scrambled up from where he was positioned on top of Kisuke.

“I think that’s my cue to leave, have a good night Kurosaki-kun!” Kisuke told him, at the door between one breath and the next, looking inappropriately cheerful given the circumstances.

“What? You can’t just leave me to deal with this by myself,” Ichigo hissed at him as the stairs creaked.

“Sorry, but I think discretion is definitely the better part of valor here!” With that Kisuke was out the door, swinging it softly shut behind him as Isshin rounded the corner into the kitchen to eye Ichigo balefully.

“I can explain,” began Ichigo as Isshin crossed his arms and looked at him expectantly.

* * *

University was in many ways better than high school, but in many others practically the same. The courses had higher expectations of the students of course, but Ichigo had been exceeding expectations his entire life. The courses were more interesting than the ones in high school had been, if not exactly more challenging, and they came with less hassles.

But while the classes were better the people were frustratingly the same. Between his bright orange hair, relatively casual fashion, often present scowl, and lack of participation in extracurriculars most of his classmates seemed nervous or anxious around him, rumors swirling behind his back about his delinquent past, his yakuza affiliations, and his bribery to get into the school. None of the rumors were remotely true, but they were popular.

Ichigo ignored them just as he did the past few years, focusing on his coursework and his work protecting Karakura town. Anything else was just a distraction.

Like the ringing that was filling the lecture hall for his German language class. A distraction.

As the professor halted with and aggravated look and the students began looking around and murmuring about the idiot who left their phone on Ichigo realized the ringing was coming from his bag. He was the idiot who left their phone on, except that was not his ring tone, and he always had his phone on silent.

With what he hoped was an apologetic grimace he pulled the phone out meaning to silence it as his professor began lecturing on manners and classroom etiquette, his fellow students laughing softly at him from their seats. The ringing had changed to a beeping that was rapidly increasing in frequency and the phone was startingly hot in his hand. On the screen was the map app with a warning box overlaid.

Then the thing caught on fire.

With a yelp Ichigo dropped it on his desk as the people around him quickly leaned away in surprise.

‘What on earth?’ Ichigo had time to think before the phone gave a pop, a hiss, and then exploded, jumping two feet off his desk before dropping back down, the screen separated from the body. Ichigo just managed to get a hand up in front of his face and so only suffered minor burns on his arm from small pieces of the phone hitting him.

The room was silent for a brief moment before descending into chaos as the teacher ran for the fire extinguisher and the students began loudly screaming and trying to climb over each other to get further away from Ichigo’s desk. Ichigo pushed his chair back and stumbled away himself, just snagging his bag before the professor started to spray the smoldering remains of his phone with the suppressing foam.

With the phone now safely extinguished and unlikely to cause further problems Ichigo and his professor took a moment to stare at each other silently, both breathing a little harder than normal.

“Is this one of those exploding Korean phones?” the man finally asked, clearly a little shocked.

“Uh, I’m not sure, it was a gift,” Ichigo muttered, twisting his arm to get a look at the burns.

“You should go see a doctor,” he said before turning to the rest of the class. “Class dismissed, I need to speak to facilities.”

With a quiet apology Ichigo carefully picked up the remains of his phone, wrapping them in a towel he carried in his bag. With the surprised wearing off Ichigo began to think, and the conclusion he was coming to made him scowled.

Yesterday he visited the Urahara Shoten, spending most of his time helping Ururu with her classwork. As he’d been leaving Kisuke chased him out the door, bringing him his supposedly left behind phone.

Clearly, Kisuke took it while he’d been distracted and done something to it.

Something that caused it to explode the next day.

‘I’m going to murder him,’ Ichigo thought to himself as he boarded the train back to Karakura. He’d prefer to run home, anxious energy filling him, but he couldn’t leave his body behind and the stress of shunpo on his human body was a bit much for such a sustained run.

It wasn’t the first time Kisuke had smuggled something onto his person. Kido tags he could stick up around locations to discourage Hollows, a better, less ostentatious badge for Shinigami work, three different versions of denreishinki, of which his phone had only been the latest model, among other things.

Weirdly, he also snuck candy onto Ichigo’s person fairly often. Ichigo had begun to wonder if it was some sort of observational training except Kisuke always looked weirdly happy to see Ichigo eat it, never disappointed that Ichigo never caught him.

Ichigo couldn’t deny that he derived some pleasure himself from Kisuke’s actions. He liked the gifts, he liked that Kisuke thought of him, took the time to do things like this. No one else got attention like this and Ichigo was man enough to admit he took satisfaction in that.

An exploding phone though was a little much.

Arriving at the Shoten Ichigo let himself into the small shop, scowl evident. Kisuke sat behind the counter fiddling with some small electronic device with a tiny screwdriver. It looked a little like Ururu’s Gameboy. Or maybe exactly like her Gameboy. He raised the hand holding the screwdriver to wave at Ichigo in a distracted manner but didn’t bother looking up from the device he was working on.

“Hello, Kurosaki-kun-“

“It’s _Ichigo_ ,” he cut in with a growl. Kisuke didn’t acknowledge him, merely continuing what he was saying.

“you’re back from class early today.”

“Yeah, class was dismissed due to exploding cellphone,” said Ichigo dumping the remains of his phone onto the counter in front of Kisuke.

That got Kisuke’s full attention as he poked at the bits and pieces with his screwdriver.

“Ah! This is unexpected. What did you do Kurosaki-kun?”

Ichigo felt his temper rise as he reached over the counter to grab at Kisuke’s top, yanking him forward into Ichigo’s face. Kisuke quickly slipped his fan into his hand and opened it in front of his face, shielding him from Ichigo. Ichigo almost faltered when he realized that his actions had caused Kisuke’s top to gape more than usual, and his position standing as Kisuke sat meant he had a remarkably good view down it.

“What did I do? What did you do!? That was my phone!” Ichigo released Kisuke with a huff, letting him return to poking at his dismembered phone. His cheeks heated a little and he hoped that if a blush was visible that Kisuke would chock it up to anger.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you a new one. It appears the reiatsu battery overloaded.” He shifted through the pieces until he could pick up the battery, eyeing it thoughtfully. This certainly hadn’t been the expected result of his tinkering.

Ichigo huffed, setting his elbows on the counter. “And _why_ did the reiatsu battery overload?” He leaned in until his face was inches from Kisuke’s, unable to keep himself from admiring the way Kisuke’s pale lashes fluttered as his eyes moved over the small wreckage.

“Hmm,” Kisuke cut a glance to Ichigo, lips twitching at his proximity. “well, I was attempting to improve the phone’s ability to pinpoint low reiatsu creatures, the recently deceased for instance, so they could found more easily for konso. However, doing so requires more sensitive sensors, which requires more power, which requires a more efficient battery. I underestimated how much reiatsu the battery would gather it seems.”

“Kisuke, this is very important, did you _test_ this before giving it to me?” Ichigo leaned in a little closer, forcing Kisuke to maintain eye contact with him.

“What a ridiculous question, Kurosaki-kun!” he said ignoring Ichigo’s interjection to call him by name. “This was the test, clearly.”

It was at this point that Ichigo launched himself over the counter, trying to catch Kisuke. Kisuke ducked out of the way with an irreverent laugh, dancing out of the way.

“My, if you wanted to spar all you had to do was ask.”

“I want to strangle you,” Ichigo bit out as he attempted again to snag Kisuke. Unfortunately, Ichigo was slower in his body than he was in shinigami form.

“If you do that how will you get a new phone?” asked Kisuke voice full of false innocence.

“Don’t care,” replied Ichigo following a laughing Kisuke towards the back of the shop and into the house area.

Except as he attempted to both kick his shoes off and lunge again at Kisuke he slipped in his socked feet on the polished wood floor of the hallway. Ichigo’s arms automatically pinwheeled trying to keep his balance but he was already leaning too far forward thanks to his attempted lunge. He resigned himself to hitting the floor but before he could an arm wrapped itself around his side pulling him back and taking nearly his entire weight. Ichigo was left to quickly get his feet back under himself as Kisuke kept him upright.

“Careful, Kurosaki-kun, we wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.” Kisuke said softly into his ear, patiently waiting until Ichigo was steady again to release him. As he pulled away he briefly laid a hand on Ichigo’s arm, squeezing gently. Ichigo couldn’t help a surprised wince as Kisuke pressed on the burns, an action Kisuke noticed instantly. “Or perhaps you’re already hurt.” He carefully twisted Ichigo’s arm until the burns were facing him.

“It’s fine, it’s nothing,” Ichigo said, trying to pull his arm away. Kisuke’s grip was implacable though.

“Did my phone do this?” he asked as he held his other hand over the arm. Kaido wasn’t quite as effective on a living body as it was a soul body, but for such minor injuries it worked well enough and the burns quickly vanished.

Ichigo sighed as Kisuke worked.

“It’s fine. It was an accident and nothing major happened and you’ve fixed it now anyway. Don’t be weird about this.”

“I was careless, I should have tested it more thoroughly before giving it to you.”

“I mean, yeah, you should have, but there’s no lasting damage.” Ichigo paused, considering. “Well, only to my phone, but you’ll give me a new one. Why were you trying to upgrade my phone anyway?”

“You complained a couple weeks ago that it was difficult to find ghosts, you had a point.” Kisuke shrugged, voice casual.

Ichigo turned to look at him surprised. He had said that, a couple weeks back, frustrated because a newly birthed hollow had gone after a local family. He’d mentioned in passing that if only he could find the ghosts he could send them on and then they wouldn’t have to become hollows. But the spiritual pressure of most ghosts was way too low for anyone but the most sensitive to locate typically. That Kisuke had taken his passing comment seriously enough to try to solve the problem was surprising.

Kisuke always did this. Solving Ichigo’s problems like it was natural.

“You… thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” Ichigo finally said, unable to keep the genuine gratitude from his voice.

“Well, I didn’t, yet. It seems that model was a complete failure.” Kisuke turned away slightly.

“It means something that you tried.”

“The next one will be better.”

“Kisuke. Look at me please?” It took a moment but Kisuke did turn back to look Ichigo in the eye. “It makes me happy that you’re doing this, for me.”

For a second Ichigo thought Kisuke might deny it being for him, or that he would respond with a flippant, teasing comment.

“This is the least of what I’d do for you,” he said instead, serious and direct. “Ichigo.”

Ichigo smiled, reaching out a hand to grip Kisuke’s.

“Yeah,” he said softly, happy. “Next time, just test the damn thing first.”

“Of course, I already have a few ideas.” Kisuke squeezed Ichigo’s fingers gently before turning back down the hallway, towards where his labs were. “I should get started.”

“I’ll come with you. You really can’t be left alone.”

“If you insist, Ichigo.”

**Author's Note:**

> Why am I in this fandom? Why am I writing this? It has been literal years oh god.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this nonsense. Will probably write more nonsense for this pairing in the future.


End file.
